Zoe walked inside and was struck by the handsome combination of rosewood floors, stone walls and a staircase with wrought-iron railings.
“Colin, it’s lovely,” she said, turning to take in all the details. The lower level was open, featuring one large kitchen, dining and living space, separated only by the staircase. The first floor was surrounded on all four sides by sliding or French doors, giving the impression that the furniture was simply sitting in the woodlands.
“I called ahead,” he said. “So the kitchen should be stocked for a couple of days.” He jerked his head toward the stairs and retrieved their bags. “Come on up. The view is nice from the veranda.”
Zoe watched Colin climb the stairs and was suddenly besieged by panic. This was beginning to feel too good. Too…right.
“You coming?” he called.
“Right behind you,” she said, then gave herself a mental shake and followed.
The upper level was even more impressive, with open ceiling trusses and more windows with spectacular views of rolling grasslands. A central seating area featured a bar and home theater, with doors on either side, presumably leading to bedrooms.
“That’s a guest suite,” he said, pointing before pushing open the door to the left. “And this is where I sleep.”
Zoe glanced inside the room and at the sight of the enormous bed made of rough-hewn logs, was struck with a sense of déjà vu.
It’s always nice to get back home and sleep in my own bed.
This was the bed she had pictured him in scant minutes after they’d met on the plane—massive, primitive, unique. Her body went moist at the thought of climbing into it with him tonight.
“What a wonderful room,” she murmured, forcing herself to take note of the other pieces of furniture, the Aboriginal art pieces. The rosewood floors were continued upstairs, but some other kind of material covered the walls. She touched the uniquely textured surface.
“It’s cork,” he explained. “It’s a renewable resource. I’m thinking of incorporating it throughout my hotels.” He gave her a naughty wink. “Good soundproofing, too.”
She blushed.
“Would you like a tour of the station?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll get the four-wheeler ready, if you want to freshen up. Take your time, come down when you’re ready.”
Zoe was glad for the chance to be alone, to collect her thoughts and absorb her surroundings. Intellectually, she had known, of course, that they lived in different worlds. Colin’s resort alone was an impressive holding, and then there was the sailboat, which probably cost a small fortune just to moor at Sydney Cove. Now the ranch…and doubtless many other properties and possessions that she didn’t even know about.
What incredible luck to have hooked up with this man to share a fantasy week—Colin Cannon was the total package. The kind of man to make a woman rethink her priorities…
Then her gaze fell on the small duffel that held their props. She walked over and unzipped the bag to reveal the handcuffs and lengths of narrow chain. It was a jarring reminder of what this week was all about. We’re just having sex, Zoe.
Then, unbidden, something else Colin had said slid into her mind. It was the night they had entered into their arrangement.
“I want to experience something exciting,” she had whispered. “Before I walk down the aisle. I have fantasies….”
And he had responded, “So do I.”
Zoe hefted the chains in her hands, her mind racing. She glanced all around the bedroom, looking for a way to facilitate what she had in mind. Then she looked up at the exposed wooden ceiling trusses and a wicked smile lifted her mouth. It would work.
There was no better way to put their relationship back on solid sexual ground in her mind than to turn things up a notch. Tonight Colin would get as good as he’d been giving.
13
COLIN PUT THE CHEESE AND BREAD he’d brought for their lunch in a compartment on the four-wheeler and pushed it out of the garage. Then he checked the fuel level and tires and when he was finished, he checked them again. He paced off nervous energy and began whistling under his breath—anything to keep his mind from going where it was going.
He wasn’t developing feelings for Zoe Smythe—that would be just plain stupid. She had a fiancé waiting for her on the other side of the world, and meanwhile Lauren was tapping her foot waiting for a big, fat ring to seal their relationship.
He squeezed his eyes closed and conjured up an image of Lauren in his head. The woman was stunning, there could be no argument. They moved in the same social circles, had similar likes and dislikes, and her brother was not only one of Colin’s best mates, but a valuable business partner. And as far as sex with Lauren…
He pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. Before Zoe, he would’ve said that the sex with Lauren was good—great, even. But sex with Zoe…he’d never experienced anything so intense. Of the two women, Lauren was physically more beautiful, but she was plagued with self-doubt. Zoe, on the other hand, possessed an innate sensual quality that was so magnetic, she touched something inside him. She wasn’t self-conscious, wasn’t afraid to explore her sexuality, wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted, wasn’t afraid to moan—or scream—her pleasure. He couldn’t get her off his mind. He’d had the perfect opportunity last night to walk away.
But he couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear knowing she was in the hotel, or even in the country, alone, when they could be together. Using the opals to entice her to Benbullen had been a flimsy excuse, but he’d been hoping that she, too, wasn’t ready to let go of the fantasy they’d created.
At the sound of a door sliding closed, he looked up to see Zoe emerging from the house, her beautiful face lit with an enthusiastic smile. “I’m ready!”
But I’m not, he thought, his heart thumping in his chest. I’m not ready for this. You’re the wrong woman, it’s the wrong time. He managed to pull a smile from nowhere. “Let’s go.”
After climbing onto the four-wheeler, he helped her to settle on the seat behind him. There was a bar on the rear of the ATV she could’ve held on to, but he was happy to have her long, slender hands around his middle, caressing his stomach and holding on tight when they went over rough terrain and up hills. He showed her the most scenic parts of Benbullen, giving him the chance to see everything new through her eager eyes—the koalas, the wallabies, the cockatoos. He even noticed that the bloody swooping magpies—one of the winged devils had dive-bombed Lauren and taken a hank of her blond hair with it, traumatizing her to the point that she refused to leave the house when she visited the ranch—had a sweet, pleasing song.
They stopped at the winery to speak to his head winemaker and to sample the latest blends, and at the station manager’s building for a general update. The temps were mild, but the dust left them thirsty. They stopped for their picnic lunch and to drink from a natural spring, then rode like children through the pear orchard where the trees were in full bloom and the blossoms snowed down on them. Zoe laughed in his ear and held on tight. Colin couldn’t remember a more enjoyable day.
The sun was descending when they arrived back at the house, tired and hungry. He offered to let her shower first only because he knew they’d never make it to dinner and might perish of hunger if he joined her. So, exercising the extent of his cooking skills, he threw together a salad, selected a couple of bottles of wine from the cellar, set out a dish of dark chocolates and put on water to boil for linguini and shrimp. When Zoe came down looking dewy fresh and edible herself in snug denims and a light sweater, her dark, damp hair cascading over her shoulders, he stole a kiss and relinquished the kitchen to her.
As he climbed the stairs to the bedroom, the thought occurred to him that they were acting like an old married couple.
But that thought fled when he walked into the bedroom and saw two chains looped over a ceiling truss, hanging down, held together at the ends by the handcuffs. His cock jumped. This wasn’t the kind of thing that old married couples did.
He was in and out of the shower in record time, then tossed on jeans and a shirt that he didn’t bother to button. When he descended the stairs, she had found a music station on the stereo, had poured the wine and was straining the linguini. From the great smells emanating from the stove, she had found some garlic to add to the shrimp sautéing in a pan.
He came up behind her to help her with the heavy pot.
“Care to explain the contraption upstairs?” he murmured into her ear.
“It’s for later,” she murmured back.
He groaned. “Then let’s get this meal over with.”
Colin could barely keep his hands off her while they set the table—this fresh-faced, barefoot side of her was just as sexy as the made-up vixen. She sang along off-key to the American songs playing on the stereo and danced. Her mood was contagious. They talked and laughed over bowls of shrimp linguini and drank the buttery chardonnay from the station winery that he was most proud of.
“It’s delicious,” Zoe said, tilting her glass. “I’m so impressed.”